States » SouthPosted at: Oct 22 2026 6:47AM


Om Prakash Mathur to assume charge as Keralam Governor on Oct 23

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 22 (UNI) Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Rajya Sabha member Om Prakash Mathur will be sworn in as the 29th Governor of Keralam at a ceremony to be held at Lok Bhavan here on October 23.
The oath-taking ceremony is scheduled between 1200 and 1230 hours at the Lok Bhavan Auditorium. Chief Justice of the High Court of Keralam Soumen Sen will administer the oath of office to Mathur.
Mathur, who was earlier the Governor of Sikkim, has been appointed to Keralam as part of a gubernatorial reshuffle. He succeeds Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who has been transferred to Tamil Nadu. Dushyant Gautam has been appointed as the next Governor of Sikkim, following Mathur's transfer.
Mathur brings to the gubernatorial office a long record of organisational and political experience in the BJP, having held key responsibilities at both state and national levels. His career includes a prolonged association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), leadership positions in the BJP, two terms as a Rajya Sabha member and responsibilities in managing the party's organisation and election campaigns across several states.
Born on January 2, 1952, in Bedal village in Bali, Pali district of Rajasthan, Mathur graduated from Rajasthan University before embarking on his public life through the RSS. He began working as an RSS Pracharak in 1972 and served in different districts of Rajasthan until 1979, building his early experience in organisational work.
From 1979 to 1989, he served as Sangathan Mantri of the Kisan Sangh. His official profile also records that he was imprisoned for 11 months during the Emergency, a period that marked a significant phase in his political journey.
Mathur subsequently became an important organisational figure in the BJP's Rajasthan unit. He served as the party's general secretary (organisation) in the state from 1989 to 2002, overseeing organisational activities during a crucial period of the BJP's growth. His responsibilities later expanded to the national level, where he served as the party's all-India secretary and general secretary.
He was associated with the BJP's National Executive from 1989 to 2024, reflecting his longstanding role in the party's decision-making and organisational structure. Over the years, he also handled responsibilities connected with the party's expansion, election preparedness and coordination across different regions.
In 2008, Mathur was appointed president of the BJP's Rajasthan unit. In the same year, he entered Parliament as a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan. His first term in the Upper House lasted from 2008 to 2014, and he returned for a second term from 2016 to 2022. During his second tenure, he chaired the Rajya Sabha House Committee.
At the national level, Mathur served as the BJP's all-India vice-president from 2015 to 2022. He was subsequently a member of the party's Central Election Committee from 2022 to 2024, a key body involved in decisions concerning the selection of candidates for elections.
His organisational assignments extended well beyond Rajasthan. At different stages of his political career, he was entrusted with overseeing BJP activities and election campaigns in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. These assignments gave him experience in coordinating party machinery, managing electoral strategies and working with state-level leadership in diverse political settings.
Mathur's appointment to Keralam comes against the backdrop of a change in the gubernatorial leadership in three states. Arlekar's transfer to Tamil Nadu, Mathur's move from Sikkim to Keralam and Gautam's appointment to Sikkim form part of the latest reshuffle of Governors.
With the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for Friday, Mathur is set to assume the constitutional responsibilities of Governor of Keralam, succeeding Arlekar at Lok Bhavan.
UNI DS
Tags: #Om Prakash Mathur to assume charge as Keralam Governor on Oct 23
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